Diversely openable dual display type mobile communication terminal

ABSTRACT

A diversely openable dual display type mobile communication terminal is disclosed. The mobile communication terminal is designed in due consideration of a design concept and a form factor to facilitate enhanced information input that includes a plurality of discrete information input parts separately formed on a key group in order to provide broadened information input areas, the input parts selectively openable by use of a folder portion and a slider portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), this application claims the benefit ofearlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No.2005-0020270, filed on Mar. 10, 2005, the contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal such asa mobile phone and, more particularly, to a diversely openable dualdisplay type mobile communication terminal that accommodates a designconcept and a form factor and includes a plurality of discreteinformation input parts separately formed on a key group in order toprovide broadened information input areas, the input parts selectivelyopenable by use of a folder portion and a slider portion.

2. Description of the Related Art

Along with the advancement of mobile communication technology, apersonal mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone hasevolved into a multi-functional, intelligent, sophisticated andversatile device. There is an increasing trend to market versatilemobile communication terminals capable of not only performing voicecommunication, but also providing new multimedia-based informationservices related to games, video-on-demand, an electronic dictionary, anMP3, a variety of data and moving images.

Such versatile mobile communication terminals incorporate a variety ofcollateral functions in a single unit and arouse a growing interest inconsumers due to their convenience of use, functionality and design. Asan example of a versatile mobile communication terminal, a horizontallyviewed terminal has been developed in order to accommodate improvedmultimedia functions and address the increasing demand for moving imageinformation services. Such state-of-the-art mobile communicationterminals are designed and produced in due consideration of what iscalled a form factor to thereby attain great improvement in design andfunctionality.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic illustration of a prior art mobilecommunication terminal 100 is shown. The mobile communication terminal100 includes a main body 110, a display 111 arranged on the front of themain body for displaying various images, an antenna 170 for transmittingand receiving communication signals and a data input area 130 to enablea user to input a variety of data.

The data input area 130 typically includes character input keys 131 forentering general characters, special characters and symbols as well ascharacter/numeral combination keys 132 for entering numerals togetherwith characters. Since the character input keys 131 and thecharacter/numeral combination keys 132 are located on a single narrowboard in a crowded condition, the conventional mobile communicationterminal is inherently inconvenient to use.

Therefore, there is a need for a mobile communication terminal thatfacilitates convenient use of a plurality of keys adopted to entervarious characters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

The present invention is directed to providing a diversely openable dualdisplay type mobile communication terminal designed in due considerationof a design concept and a form factor to facilitate enhanced informationinput. The present invention is further directed to providing adiversely openable dual display type mobile communication terminaldesigned in due consideration of a design concept and a form factor toenhance in-use convenience, functionality and design, thereby keepingpace with the increasing versatility of a mobile communication terminal.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a diverselyopenable dual display type mobile communication terminal that includes aqwerty type keyboard having enhanced information input capability.Another object of the present invention is to provide a diverselyopenable dual display type mobile communication terminal that has aplurality of discrete information input devices separately formed as akey group in order to facilitate enhanced information input capabilityand that is selectively openable by use of a folder portion and a sliderportion.

In one aspect of the present invention, a mobile communication terminalis provided. The mobile communication terminal includes a main bodyportion including a first information input area and a secondinformation input area, the first and second information input areaslocated in mutually separated adjoining regions on a surface of the mainbody portion, a folder portion rotatably attached to the main bodyportion and having an open configuration and a closed configuration suchthat the first information input area is covered by the folder portionwhen the folder portion is in the closed configuration and a sliderportion slidably attached to the main body portion and having an openconfiguration and a closed configuration such that the secondinformation input area is covered when the slider portion is in theclosed configuration.

It is contemplated that the first information input area includes acharacter/symbol input keypad. It is further contemplated that thecharacter/symbol input keypad is a qwerty type keyboard. Preferably, thecharacter/symbol input keypad occupies 65%-75% of a total area of thefirst information input area and the second information input area.

It is contemplated that the second information input area includes anArabic numeral input keypad. Preferably, the Arabic numeral input keypadoccupies 25%-35% of a total area of the first information input area andthe second information input area.

It is contemplated that the folder portion includes dual displays, thedual displays located on opposite surfaces such that the mobilecommunication terminal has a primary display panel and a secondarydisplay panel. Preferably, the main display panel and the sub displaypanel are adapted to display, respectively, image information ofdifferent menus.

It is contemplated that the folder portion is adapted to open in twosteps, each of the two steps having a different rotation angle such thatthe folder portion has a first open configuration and a second openconfiguration. It is further contemplated that the main body portionincludes a two-step hinge unit for rotatably attaching the folderportion to the main body portion. Preferably, the first openconfiguration has a rotation angle of 150°±5° and the second openconfiguration has a rotation angle of 180°±5°.

It is contemplated that the slider portion includes a menu selectioninput keypad. It is further contemplated that a rear surface of the mainbody portion includes a lens of a camera module such that the cameramodule lens remains exposed to the outside. Preferably, the folderportion includes dual displays, the dual displays located on oppositesurfaces such that the mobile communication terminal has a primarydisplay panel and a secondary display panel and image informationcaptured by the camera module is selectively displayed either theprimary display panel or the secondary display panel.

It is contemplated that the main body portion further includes abuilt-in antenna. It is further contemplated that the mobilecommunication terminal further includes a slide unit adapted to slidablysupport the slider portion, the slide unit located between the sliderportion and the main body portion. Preferably, the slide unit includes asupport bracket secured to the slider portion in a face-to-facerelationship, a pair of guide bars at opposite lateral ends of thesupport bracket, the guide bars in a spaced-apart parallel relationshipwith each other and a support plate comprising a pair of holdersslidably coupled with the pair of guide bars, the support plate securedto the main body portion in a face-to-face relationship.

In another aspect of the present invention, a mobile communicationterminal is provided. The mobile communication terminal includes a mainbody portion having a first information input area and a secondinformation input area, the first and second information input areaslocated in mutually separated adjoining regions on a surface of the mainbody portion, the first information input area including acharacter/symbol input keypad and the second information input partincluding an Arabic numeral input keypad, a folder portion rotatablyattached to the main body portion and having an open configuration and aclosed configuration such that the first information input area iscovered by the folder portion when the folder portion is in the closedconfiguration, the folder portion including dual displays, the dualdisplays located on opposite surfaces and a slider portion slidablyattached to the main body portion and having an open configuration and aclosed configuration such that the second information input area iscovered when the slider portion is in the closed configuration, theslider portion including a menu selection input keypad.

In another aspect of the present invention, a mobile communicationterminal is provided. The mobile communication terminal includes a mainbody portion having a first information input area and a secondinformation input area, the first and second information input areaslocated in mutually separated adjoining regions on a surface of the mainbody portion, a folder portion rotatably attached to the main bodyportion and having an open configuration and a closed configuration suchthat the first information input area is covered by the folder portionwhen the folder portion is in the closed configuration, the folderportion including a primary display panel and a secondary display panel,the primary display panel and secondary display panel located onopposite surfaces, a slider portion slidably attached to the main bodyportion and having an open configuration and a closed configuration suchthat the second information input area is covered when the sliderportion is in the closed configuration and a camera module including alens mounted on a rear surface of the main body portion such that thelens remains exposed to the outside and image information captured bythe camera module is selectively displayed on either the primary displaypanel or the secondary display panel.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. It is to beunderstood that both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description of the present invention are exemplary andexplanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of theinvention as claimed.

These and other embodiments will also become readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description of theembodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention notbeing limited to any particular embodiments disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. Features, elements, and aspects of the invention that arereferenced by the same numerals in different figures represent the same,equivalent, or similar features, elements, or aspects in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art mobile communication terminal.

FIGS. 2 through 7 are perspective views illustrating a diverselyopenable dual display type mobile communication terminal according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a slide unit employed in adiversely openable dual display type mobile communication terminalaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a diversely openable dual displaytype mobile communication terminal designed in due consideration of adesign concept and a form factor to facilitate enhanced informationinput that includes a plurality of discrete information input partsseparately formed on a key group in order to provide broadenedinformation input areas, the input parts selectively openable by use ofa folder portion and a slider portion. Although the present invention isillustrated with respect to a mobile communication device, it iscontemplated that the present invention may be utilized anytime it isdesired to facilitate convenient use of a plurality of keys adopted toenter various characters.

Preferred embodiments of a diversely openable dual display type mobilecommunication terminal according to the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.Referring to FIGS. 2 through 7, a diversely openable dual display typemobile communication terminal 200 according to the present inventionincludes a main body portion 210, a folder portion 220 and a sliderportion 230.

The main body portion 210 is a box-like rectangular case andincorporates a number of electrical devices (not shown), for example, aprinted circuit board on which electronic components, such assemiconductor chips for processing entered information and communicationsignals, are mounted. The main body portion 210 has a first informationinput area 211 A and a second information input area 212A located,respectively, in mutually separated adjoining regions on a surface ofthe main body portion 210. The main body portion 210 is also providedwith a built-in antenna (not shown).

The first information input area 211 A is provided with acharacter/symbol input keypad 211 forming a discrete region where inputkeys, such as alphabet characters and symbols, are grouped together.Preferably, the character/symbol input keypad 211 is a qwerty typekeyboard. The second information input area 212A is provided with anArabic numeral input keypad 212.

Preferably, the character/symbol input keypad 211 occupies 65-75% of thetotal area of the first and second information input areas 211A, 212A.It is further preferred is that the Arabic numeral input keypad 212occupies 25-35% of the total area of the first and second informationinput area 211A, 212A.

The folder portion 220 is rotatably attached to the main body portion210 for opening and closing the character/symbol input keypad 211 of thefirst information input area 211A. Furthermore, the folder portion 220is provided with a main display panel 221 and a sub display panel 222 atopposite surfaces, thereby forming a dual display folder. The maindisplay panel 221 and the sub display panel 222 are adapted to displayimage information of different menus.

The folder portion 220 is large enough to cover the character/symbolinput keypad 211 of the first information input area 211A, therebyallowing the folder portion 220 to have a wider display panel. Theslider portion 230 is slidably attached to the main body portion 210such that it can cover the Arabic numeral input keypad 212 of the secondinformation input area 212A.

The folder portion 220 is rotatably coupled with a two-step hinge unit(not shown) so that it can be opened and closed in two steps. The hingeunit is fitted to pivot brackets 213 protruding from one corner of themain body portion 210. The hinge unit is not subject to any limitationand may be any hinge unit known in the art that operates in two steps.It is preferred that the folder portion 220 is opened and closed into afirst configuration having an open angle of 150±5° and a secondconfiguration having an open angle of 180±5°, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, a slide unit 240 is provided betweenthe main body portion 210 and the slider portion 230 such that theslider portion 230 is slidably supported. The slide unit 240 includes aplate-like support bracket 241 secured to a back side of the sliderportion 230 in a face-to-face relationship and a planar support plate242 secured to the lower part of a front surface of the main bodyportion 210 in a face-to-face relationship.

A pair of guide bars 241 a are provided at opposite lateral ends of thesupport bracket 241 in a spaced-apart parallel relationship to eachother. A pair of holders 242 b are formed in the support plate 242 andcoupled with the pair of guide bars 241 a to slidably support the guidebars.

The slider portion 230 is provided with a menu selection input keypad231 that remains exposed to the outside. Furthermore, a lens L of acamera module C is attached to a rear surface of the main body portion210 such that the lens L remains exposed to the outside. Imageinformation captured by the camera module C is displayed on the maindisplay panel 221, but optionally may be displayed on the sub displaypanel 222. A battery pack is also provided.

Use of the diversely openable dual display type mobile communicationterminal according to the present invention will be described withreference to FIGS. 2-7.

FIG. 3 illustrates the mobile communication terminal 200 in anout-of-use or storage configuration in which the folder portion 220 andthe slider portion 230 are closed in contact with the front surface ofthe main body portion 210 to thereby cover the first information inputarea 211A and the second information input area 212A, respectively,thereby maintaining the mobile communication terminal in a compactstate. FIG. 4 illustrates the mobile communication terminal 200 in avoice communication configuration in which the slider portion 230 ismoved downward into an open position to expose the second informationinput area 212A, thereby allowing a user to input, for example, areceiver identification number. In the voice communicationconfiguration, a user may manipulate the menu selection input keypad 231of the slider portion 230 and the Arabic numeral input keypad 212 of thesecond information input area 212A to enter the receiver identificationnumber.

FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration where, for example, a user conductsan image information communication, such as transmitting and receivinginformation related to games or other moving images. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the folder portion 220 is rotated and opened toward a side ofthe main body portion 210 to uncover the first information input area211A and the main display panel 221.

The configuration illustrated in FIG. 5 enables a user to view the imageinformation displayed on the main display panel 221 while manipulatingthe menu selection input keypad 231 of the slider portion 230 and theqwerty type character/symbol input keypad 211 of the first informationinput area 211A. In this way, the user may view the image informationwhile selectively rotating the folder portion 220 into a firstconfiguration having an open angle of 150±5° and a second configurationhaving an open angle of 180±5° with respect to the front surface of themain body portion 210. The configuration of the folder portion 220 maybe selected at the user's discretion when the mobile communicationterminal 200 is used as a laptop computer or a desktop computer.

FIG. 6 illustrates the mobile communication terminal 200 in animage-taking configuration. In this configuration, the folder portion220 is opened into the second configuration having an open angle of180±5° such that the user can easily observe the image informationcaptured by the camera module C and displayed on the main display panel221 or the sub display panel 222. FIGS. 2 and 7 illustrate the mobilecommunication terminal 200 with the folder portion 220 and the sliderportion 230 both in their open positions to enable the user to use eachand every operation mode provided by the mobile communication terminal200 according to the present invention.

As described in the foregoing, the diversely openable dual display typemobile communication terminal according to the present inventionincludes a qwerty type character/symbol input keypad and an Arabicnumeral input keypad separately formed on a broadened information area,thereby greatly improving convenience when entering information data.Furthermore, the mobile communication terminal according to the presentinvention is designed in due consideration of a form factor, therebyhelping to enhance in-use convenience, functionality and design andkeeping pace with the increasing versatility of a mobile communicationterminal. Moreover, in the mobile communication terminal according tothe present invention, a folder portion is enlarged to a size greatenough to effectively cover a broadened information input area, therebyallowing the folder portion to have a wider display panel.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention havebeen described herein above, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes or modifications may be made thereto within thescope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, itshould also be understood that the above-described embodiments are notlimited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unlessotherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within itsspirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore allchanges and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of theclaims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intendedto be embraced by the appended claims.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and arenot to be construed as limiting the present invention. The presentteaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Thedescription of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, andnot to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications,and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In theclaims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structuredescribed herein as performing the recited function and not onlystructural equivalents but also equivalent structures.

1. A mobile communication terminal, comprising: a main body portioncomprising a first information input area and a second information inputarea, the first and second information input areas located in mutuallyseparated adjoining regions on a surface of the main body portion; afolder portion rotatably attached to the main body portion and having anopen configuration and a closed configuration such that the firstinformation input area is covered by the folder portion when the folderportion is in the closed configuration; and a slider portion slidablyattached to the main body portion and having an open configuration and aclosed configuration such that the second information input area iscovered when the slider portion is in the closed configuration.
 2. Themobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the first informationinput area comprises a character/symbol input keypad.
 3. The mobilecommunication terminal of claim 2, wherein the character/symbol inputkeypad is a qwerty type keyboard.
 4. The mobile communication terminalof claim 2, wherein the character/symbol input keypad occupies 65%-75%of a total area of the first information input area and the secondinformation input area.
 5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1,wherein the second information input area comprises an Arabic numeralinput keypad.
 6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 5, whereinthe Arabic numeral input keypad occupies 25%-35% of a total area of thefirst information input area and the second information input area. 7.The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the folder portioncomprises dual displays, the dual displays located on opposite surfacessuch that the mobile communication terminal comprises a primary displaypanel and a secondary display panel.
 8. The mobile communicationterminal of claim 7, wherein the main display panel and the sub displaypanel are adapted to display, respectively, image information ofdifferent menus.
 9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1,wherein the folder portion is adapted to open in two steps, each of thetwo steps comprising a different rotation angle such that the folderportion has a first open configuration and a second open configuration.10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the main bodyportion comprises a two-step hinge unit for rotatably attaching thefolder portion to the main body portion.
 11. The mobile communicationterminal of claim 10, wherein the first open configuration comprises arotation angle of 150°±5° and the second open configuration comprises arotation angle of 180°±5°.
 12. The mobile communication terminal ofclaim 1, wherein the slider portion comprises a menu selection inputkeypad.
 13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a rearsurface of the main body portion comprises a lens of a camera modulesuch that the camera module lens remains exposed to the outside.
 14. Themobile communication terminal of claim 13, wherein the folder portioncomprises dual displays, the dual displays located on opposite surfacessuch that the mobile communication terminal comprises a primary displaypanel and a secondary display panel.
 15. The mobile communicationterminal of claim 14, wherein image information captured by the cameramodule is selectively displayed on one of the primary display panel andthe secondary display panel.
 16. The mobile communication terminal ofclaim 1, wherein the main body portion further comprises a built-inantenna.
 17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, furthercomprising a slide unit adapted to slidably support the slider portion,the slide unit located between the slider portion and the main bodyportion.
 18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein theslide unit comprises: a support bracket secured to the slider portion ina face-to-face relationship; a pair of guide bars at opposite lateralends of the support bracket, the guide bars in a spaced-apart parallelrelationship with each other; and a support plate comprising a pair ofholders slidably coupled with the pair of guide bars, the support platesecured to the main body portion in a face-to-face relationship.
 19. Amobile communication terminal, comprising: a main body portioncomprising a first information input area and a second information inputarea, the first and second information input areas located in mutuallyseparated adjoining regions on a surface of the main body portion, thefirst information input area comprising a character/symbol input keypadand the second information input part comprising an Arabic numeral inputkeypad; a folder portion rotatably attached to the main body portion andhaving an open configuration and a closed configuration such that thefirst information input area is covered by the folder portion when thefolder portion is in the closed configuration, the folder portioncomprising dual displays, the dual displays located on oppositesurfaces; and a slider portion slidably attached to the main bodyportion and having an open configuration and a closed configuration suchthat the second information input area is covered when the sliderportion is in the closed configuration, the slider portion comprising amenu selection input keypad.
 20. A mobile communication terminal,comprising: a main body portion comprising a first information inputarea and a second information input area, the first and secondinformation input areas located in mutually separated adjoining regionson a surface of the main body portion; a folder portion rotatablyattached to the main body portion and having an open configuration and aclosed configuration such that the first information input area iscovered by the folder portion when the folder portion is in the closedconfiguration, the folder portion comprising a primary display panel anda secondary display panel, the primary display panel and secondarydisplay panel located on opposite surfaces; a slider portion slidablyattached to the main body portion and having an open configuration and aclosed configuration such that the second information input area iscovered when the slider portion is in the closed configuration; and acamera module comprising a lens mounted on a rear surface of the mainbody portion such that the lens remains exposed to the outside, whereinimage information captured by the camera module is selectively displayedon one of the primary display panel and the secondary display panel.